Sean Newton asks judge to order Cabarrus County to release recording of closed session before firing

A hearing is set for Sept. 8 as the former county manager argues the audio is the only official account of commissioners’ private discussion surrounding his termination.

Sean Newton served as county manager for several months in 2025 before getting fired in August. Photo courtesy of Cabarrus County.

Former Cabarrus County Manager Sean Newton is asking a judge to order Cabarrus County to turn over the audio recording of the closed-session discussion that preceded his firing last year.

Newton, who sued the county in May alleging commissioners wrongfully terminated him to avoid paying nearly $290,000 in severance, filed a brief Wednesday in Cabarrus County Superior Court making his case for why he should receive the recording.

A hearing on Newton’s request for the court to order the county to turn over the recording, formally known as a motion for a preliminary injunction, is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 8, in Cabarrus County Superior Court.